Helping Turkey to Reduce Dependency

KARBEN

KarBen opened for business in 1989 for the supply of bentonite and chemicals for drilling, iron steel casting and iron ore pelletization, and for the industrial mineral and critical/strategic civil engineering sectors, as well as for the animal feed pelletization, feed additive and cat litter sectors. KarBen thus reduced Turkey’s dependence on foreign markets and has since become the leading company in the bentonite sector, improving its international standing by meeting all the non–treated sodium bentonite demands of its customers.

Dr. Ümit Yaşar Karakaya, Chairman of the KarBen Executive Board, stresses the importance of material quality and sustainable supply, stating that 70 percent of KarBen’s sales are currently with international customers, and that KarBen is the first and only company that has been able to minimize Turkey’s import of bentonite in such a short period. Turkey’s geographical location has given KarBen access to many strategic and high-value projects abroad that require non-treated sodium bentonite, bentonite and drilling chemicals, thus moving Turkey up the ladder as a bentonite exporter.

About Karakaya
KarBen Chairman Dr. Ümit Yaşar Karakaya is the third generation director from the family line. In his previous business endeavors, he founded KarKim –a fully specialized and professional company as the first drilling fluid system and engineering services supplier in Turkey. In 2011, Karakaya took the company public, and launched several large projects, thus providing earnings, confidence and stability to investors and shareholders.
STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE 

Karakaya has started preparations to take to company public. The fact that the short- and medium-term reserves of non-treated sodium bentonite in the United States, Spain and Greece, among other countries, are running low is an important strategic advantage for KarBen, which has high-quality raw material reserves amounting to 200 million tons, as well a medium- and long-term sector supply capacity. This makes KarBen one of the most desirable strategic companies in the sector today. 

As the leading supplier to the bentonite market in Turkey, the company provides 80 percent of the bentonite used in petroleum and natural gas drilling projects, 70 percent of that used in geothermal drilling projects, and 100 percent of that used in iron ore pelletization projects. KarBen supplied all of the bentonite required for the Eurasia Tunnel Project (under the Istanbul Strait) and for the highway that feeds it, which is a highly signifi cant venture in the last decade in Turkey.

WORLD EXPORTS 

Bentonite is exported to the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany from Europe, to Egypt from North Africa, and to China from Asia. Bentonite exports are used in petroleum and natural gas projects in Egypt, and for the production of organoclay in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and China. Organoclay has various fields of use, being an important raw material in such products as adhesives, paint, ink, cable coating, etc. The non–treated bentonite that is extracted from mines in Reşadiye in Tokat is exported from the ports of Samsun, Mersin and Fatsa. 

According to a Turkish Mineral Research and Exploration Institute report, Turkey’s bentonite mine reserves stand currently at 200 million tons, while KarBen’s annual bentonite production capacity is 150,000 tons. The growing national and international market share of the company is a result of its high production capacity, its professional storage team, and the credibility of the company based on its timely product delivery. KarBen is recognized as a trustworthy business partner to its global clients, complying fully with the requirements of TS977 and TS EN ISO 13500 Standards as a certifi ed company, as well as the “KarBen Quality Assurance Program” developed by KarBen. 

R&D INVESTMENT 

As part of the company’s remodeling in 2013, the R&D Department was rebuilt from scratch and now continues its activities to find practical solutions to customer demands through its research into bentonite and its byproducts. With work safety and environmental awareness in mind, KarBen provides its personnel with regular training in order to keep up with all scientific and technological innovations.

CONCLUSION 

Following recent developments in the market and in the energy and mining sectors, an imbalance between the demand and supply has recently emerged. Experts and sectoral managers, as well as a host of intermediary companies and their investments, have created a serious bottleneck by reversing the quality-price index. KarBen anticipated this imbalance and is already implementing the necessary measures for both the sector and for Turkey. KarBen has set the standards in the mining sector, and today has access to strategic high-quality mine reserves at high tonnages, so ensuring basic raw material production, technological superiority and high added value. Under Karakaya’s management, KarBen has managed to stay one step ahead of its competitors in all of these areas.